Tough Luck
by LuminiaAravis
Summary: A whole year goes by in the Time Chamber. For Trunks and Vegeta, most of it is full of bitterness and solitude. But once they get warmed up to each other, intentions are made clear, boundaries are set, and the real training can begin.


**So I was on, reading various fanficitons, and I finally got the energy up to write this. It's been bee-bopping around in my head for a while, it has. But it finally came out. I know, style-wise, it's a little impromptu and casual, but hey, it's not filet mignon. So please sit back, relax, and enjoy this short piece about Trunks and Vegeta in the Room of Spirit and Time.**

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><p>It was about six months in. I was sitting on the roof of the House, with a piece of toast in one hand and a glass of water in the other. Luckily, the gravity and temperature were almost normal. Then I saw him on the horizon. He was coming towards the House really fast, so I stuffed the toast in my jacket pocket, chugged the water, and turned around to take off, and get as far in the other direction as I could, but he caught up with me before I could leave. "Stay," he said. So I did. I think it was the first friendly thing he'd said to me in months. "What can I do for you?" I said, trying to be as polite as I could.<p>

"Don't speak unless spoken to," he replied. I pressed my lips together and fiddled with the zipper of my jacket. "It has been six months to the day," he said. "You've proved to me that you can survive in here without help. I'd hoped it wouldn't have taken so long, but at least you're alive. Your mother would give me quite the ear-full if you were to die in here, boy." Wow. His highness graced me with three whole sentences. What a treat.

"So what are you saying?" I asked.

I felt a backhand against my cheek and I was knocked backwards off the roof of the House, landing with a thud. He didn't hit me hard. Just enough to knock me over. "Well, you may have learned to survive, but you have another lesson to learn: How to hold your tongue." I almost said sorry, but I bit my lower lip and looked away from him. He was standing on top of the house, all four feet of him, arms crossed, displaying his trademarked scowl. "So, how many more weeks will it take?" I didn't answer. "I asked you a question."

"None," I blurted, staring at the floor. "Please, I'll do anything, father, just don't leave me -" But it was too late. He frowned as soon as I said the word "please" and flew off again. He surpressed his power for the next month so no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't find him.

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><p>At the seven-month mark, he returned to the House. I'm not sure if he'd been away for the whole month, but I hadn't seen him near the house since I asked him not to leave. I was sitting on the roof again, breathing heavily in the thin air and trying not to shiver in the cold. He landed gently behind me, and I honestly didn't know he was there until he said, "Well?"<p>

I jumped a mile inside. But outside, I stayed cool and collected. "Well what?"

"Don't be a smart-ass. I don't have to put up with you."

"And I don't have to put up with you, either."

It took him a moment to come up with a rebuttal. "You might want to take that back."

"No, I know what I said. I might resent you, but I can still learn from you. The thing is, I'm questioning if you have anything to teach me."

He grabbed my shoulder and turned me around roughly. He was fuming. "What the hell have I ever done to you?"

"Do you want the short list, or the long list?"

"Why, you ignorant little -"

"Ignorant, dad? Really? You've only done one good thing for me my whole life, and that was have sex with mom. Lemme see, you left me when I was a baby, you almost let me and mom die out there, you hit me, you left me alone for months and you don't even come to see if I'm alive or not -"

"If you'd died, training you woulnd't have been worth my while."

"That's just conceited, how can you - wait, what did you say?"

"I said I've come to train you."

"Even after I -"

"Yes," he said exasperatedly, "even after you insult my honor. It was for your own good. That's how all saiyans grow strong, by learning to survive in a harsh environment. That's how I learned, that's how Kakarrot learned, that's how his brat learned, so that's how you'll learn. Being rid of you for months at a time was just an added bonus," he said snidely. "And I knew you were alive the whole time, you idiot. You never bothered to surpress your energy. Like I said before, there'd be no living with your mother if I let you die in here." I must have been shocked or something, because he said, "Are you going to close your mouth, or are we going to start charging the flies rent?"

"I'm sorry," I replied, snapping my mouth back to its normal width. "I just never thought you'd be near me. I mean, voluntarily."

"I'd like to think that my behavior is spontaneous," he answered, cocking an eyebrow.

"Hardly," I snorted. He scowled. I made my voice deep and gravelly like his: "Woman, I'm off to train, then eat, then sleep, then train, then eat, then sleep. If you need me, I'll either be training, eating or sleeping."

"Hilarious," he said, only a little bit damaged. "You sound just like your mother." He turned his back on me and floated down to the floor of the chamber.

That reminded me of something. "You know what?" I said, gliding after him.

"What?" he asked, massaging his temples.

"You know during the first few weeks in here where I would randomly start yelling and running towards you?"

"Ah, yes. How I miss those times," he said scathingly.

"Well, you probably figured out by now that I was hallucinating. I mean, seriously. Fire and ice and stuff, and I used to see you in trouble. And then I would run over to you because I was trying to save you."

"I know," he answered.

"Because I kinda care about what happens to you, you know."

"I know, Trunks. This is getting really redundant."

"You knew that whole time, and you still hit me? Why would you do something like that?"

He turned to face me again, his eyes flashing. "Because love has no relevance in a time like this. Remember: Giving into fancies of any kind is instant suicide. You could go give Cell a big, sloppy kiss as long as you killed him afterwards. I don't give a damn. The bottom line is, things like love and compassion don't mean anything at all in here. This isn't father-son quality time. This is 'train really, really hard so we can kill that monster' time. And there will be no protests about it.

"Now, if you want to train with me, there are some ground rules. You sleep and wake when I tell you. You eat only what I tell you; no more, no less. We train every day, no matter the weather or atmosphere. We train even at death's door, through all illnesses, bereavements, and injuries. You can be as mad at me as you want, as long as you obey me. You either keep up with me or die trying. Understand?"

I swallowed hard. At the time, I really thought that death inside the chamber was a distinct possibility. I could see myself having a bad training day sometime soon, and my father showing no mercy. I considered. I'd gotten so much stronger just from living in the chamber, surviving, testing my energy when I was strong on the other hand, I realized that this was a one-time offer. I could either suffer with him now and forever hold my peace, or fade into the background for the rest of time. I had to choose quickly. "Yes, I understand. And I accept."

"Good. You can start by getting a grip and stop shivering. It's only going to get colder from here."

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><p><strong>Thanks for reading! I think I might add one more chapter, but it all depends. I'm inspired right now, folks!<strong>


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